THQ Fans Rattled by Rumors

Misinformed source claimed THQ to cancel 2014 line up

By Justin Brenis
Editor-In-Chief

Saint's Row: The Third has clearly been a strong-selling hit for THQ, and despite its lackluster launch, WWE '12 picked up momentum. If you looked at the industry about three months ago, however, THQ was in trouble.

The company best known for launching hit franchises like Saint's Row and Red Faction hadn't had a win in quite awhile. Both of their most recent launches (at the time) Red Faction Armageddon and the attached SyFy original film Red Faction Origins were utter flops, leading THQ to discontinue the series entirely.

So when rumors hit late yesterday that the company was in hot water, the industry got to stirring.

It shocked many of THQ's fans when IGDA mobile SIG head Kevin Dent stated on Twitter that THQ had cancelled its "Game Workshop MMO."

This was quickly echoed by some industry member's lack of surprise, to which Dent went on to tweet:

While Twitter speculation is hardly solid fact, it was clear that nobody--except THQ--was shocked by the possibility.

But Dent wasn't done yet. He went on to tweet one additional supposed factoid, this time concerning how THQ could possibly stand to remain viable with all of this going on.

Overall, the biggest shock was that the news was coming from Dent, not THQ itself. With the success of Saint's Row: The Third, one would have thought that THQ was in fairly good shape, financially. On top of that, THQ has consistently made an effort to be forthcoming to its fans.

Luckily, it didn't take long for the surprising rumors to spread all the way to THQ Australia, and the company finally told its side of the tale.

A representative of the company had this to say to Kotaku:

THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO. As part of the ongoing review of our business, we have made decisions to ensure that the company is strategically addressing the most attractive markets. As we have previously announced, we have dramatically reduced our commitment to the kids’ boxed games sector which leads to a significantly more focused release schedule moving forward. Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business. We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry.

Additionally, we are thrilled with the great performance of Saints Row: The Third, which on a like for like period in North America has tripled in sell-through from Saints Row 2. In addition, WWE ’12’s worldwide sell-through sales are up almost 40% year-over-year for the same sales period with fewer platforms. According to NPD, for the month of December and the 2011 year, THQ was the #5 publisher overall, #4 third party, with reported sell through growing over 18% in a market that was down almost 6%. And coming up next, we have two great titles for the first half of the year including UFC Undisputed 3 and Darksiders 2.

Looking back, even ignoring that this rumor started on Twitter--a notoriously unreliable source--gamers never had any reason to be concerned.

While game publishers, especially ones the size of THQ, regularly plan their games years ahead of time, it's not likely they'd make a big to-do about canceling a line-up still two years away. Normally a 2014 line-up wouldn't even be released until E3 2013. So, to say you're canceling it is like telling someone you got them a present for their next birthday and then taking it back before this year's birthday.

Yeah, they'll be mad because they knew they were going to get presents, but if they never even knew what it was, what is there to really get mad about?

All in all, what really matters is that THQ and their popular franchises, including this apparently highly anticipated MMO, aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Source: VG24/7